


Beyond the Shadows

by riverdalechoni



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017), The Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Action, Alternate Universe, Angst, F/F, F/M, Fantasy, Fluff, M/M, Romance, Science Fiction, Slow Burn, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-02
Updated: 2020-05-02
Packaged: 2021-03-02 06:41:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,416
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23967058
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/riverdalechoni/pseuds/riverdalechoni
Summary: Toni Topaz has lived in NYC for years, her parents disappeared when she was little and she has been living with her uncle Luke ever since. Strange things begin to happen to Toni, and she sees things that she can't explain. One night, bartending at Pandemonium, Toni witnesses an attack on a seemingly harmless young man with blue hair in the back room of the club; a strong-headed, red-haired beauty pointing a bow and arrow right at the boy's face.
Relationships: Archie Andrews/Veronica Lodge, Betty Cooper/Jughead Jones, Cheryl Blossom/Toni Topaz, Fangs Fogarty/Kevin Keller
Comments: 3
Kudos: 13





	Beyond the Shadows

“Grab your gear.” Cheryl demands as she holsters a seraph dagger on her ankle. The girl continues to prepare for a fight, swinging her quiver over her thin, yet brawny shoulders. A girl about the same age appears next to Cheryl, fitted in a white, skin-tight dress, a snake-like bracelet on her left wrist.

“Remember, we don’t need to kill him. We need him alive, Cheryl. He is the Clave’s to deal with.” Cheryl huffs in annoyance and ties her fiery locks into a tight ponytail atop her head.

Spinning around on her heels, Cheryl makes eye contact with the girl, “I’ll do what I have to, Veronica. We all will. I’m not letting the scum get away.” The red-head grabs her bow off of the weapons table and snaps her fingers above her head, signalling for everyone to follow her. 

The other individual went unnoticed in the room until now, a two-sided blade situated in his right-hand, his jaw set. He looks over at Veronica and she just shakes her head. They are both aware of Cheryl’s stubbornness, they just don’t want things going sideways. 

The boy fixes his quaffed auburn hair, “We’ll get him. The right way.” Veronica nods her head and they both look to Cheryl. The girl sassily turns her head to the side and stalks out of the room, the others right behind her.

*******

Toni Topaz is on her way home, taking the subway through Brooklyn; her late night shift at _Pandemonium_ having just ended minutes ago. She started working at the club as a waitress when she was eighteen; three years later and she is now a bartender, mostly working late hours. She is exhausted but living in the city is costly. She needs the money.

Toni arrives at her apartment building and makes her way up the creaking wooden stairs, her hair that was once braided perfectly to the side, now almost completely undone, strands of pink sticking out. Her purse is haphazardly hanging from her left shoulder as she grabs her keys from inside the pocket of her black leather jacket. She comes to a halt at _A3_ , unlocks the door, and steps inside, sluggishly closing the door behind her. She sets her bag down next to the threshold and discards her combat boots to the side. Just then, her uncle comes into view, “Hey, darlin’. I got some Chinese food from that place you like down the street.” 

Toni looks at him and smiles gratefully, she didn’t realize how hungry she was until the smell of fried rice and kung pao chicken overtook her senses. “Thanks, uncle Luke.”

Her uncle rolls his eyes and sits on the lonely couch in the living room and continues watching sports on their small _Vizio_ television, “I’ve told you since you were ten...you can just call me Luke. Uncle Luke is too formal and it’s just weird.” 

Toni chuckles as she takes a bite of kung pao chicken, “I know. I just like messing with you.” She makes her way over to the couch and sits next to her uncle, shoveling fried rice into her mouth. 

“How was your shift tonight?” her uncle questions, eyes still glued on the T.V. 

She gulps down her food and answers, “Fine. Just the usual creepy men and drunk white girls.” Luke looks at her pointedly.

“You know I can come to each of your shifts and be like your personal bodyguard,” he states as he flexes, his muscles popping out of the white t-shirt he is wearing. 

Toni laughs and slaps his arm, “Ew, stop!” 

He laughs with her, “But seriously, you know I get done at the bookshop before you head to work. I can go with you.” 

Toni shakes her head in response. “You know that’s super embarrassing. I can take care of myself. Besides, I still have that switchblade you gave me. I take it everywhere.” 

Her uncle had taught her how to wield a switchblade, and effectively use it, given her small stature. He knew that more often than not, if she were to be attacked, the opposer would be taller and stronger than she. Thankfully, Toni hadn’t had to use it yet. She was careful and vigilant walking by herself at night, she had seen and heard of too many stories of women being attacked.

After a brief moment of silence the doorbell rings and the two look at each other. “Who’s that?” Toni questions and her uncle shakes his head, turning off the T.V.

“I don’t know. Stay here.” Toni stops eating and watches as her uncle opens the door to reveal a bulky man with long grey hair and a determined demeanor etched on his face. 

She raises her eyebrow, “Uncle Luke, who is it?” Her uncle says something to the man and turns around to look at Toni with an unreadable expression.  


“No one, honey. Just someone from work. I’ll be a second.” Before Toni could respond he walks out the door, leaving it slightly ajar behind him. _Why would someone from the bookshop stop by at this hour? What could be so urgent about books? Something doesn’t seem right._ Toni’s mind rambles on. She can’t come up with a valid reason as to why someone from the bookshop would stop by their apartment in the first place.

She sets her food down on their small coffee table and slowly makes her way to the door where her uncle had just stepped outside. As she gets closer she hears her uncle say something about it not being the right time. Then the mysterious man speaks, “When is the right time, Lucas? It’s who she is. She’ll be in danger if you prolong telling her any longer.”

Her uncle retaliates, “Do _not_ tell me what to do when it comes to my niece.” She has never heard her uncle Luke sound so angry or disgusted. Tell her what? In danger? None of this makes sense. Toni, deciding she has heard enough, goes back to the couch. Her breathing begins to come out shaky, trying to decipher the conversation she had just overheard. A couple seconds later and her uncle comes back into the apartment slamming the door behind him and turning to smile at the young girl. 

Deciding to see if her uncle would be truthful she speaks up, “Everything okay?” 

Luke pauses and clenches his jaw, “Yeah, everything is fine.” _Lies._ “It’s late, you should get some rest before your class tomorrow. Don’t need you burning yourself out.” He smiles wholeheartedly at her, “I’m going to head to sleep too. Are you sure you’re alright on the couch?” Toni opens her mouth to interrogate Luke about what he isn’t telling her, but she decides now isn’t the right time. She gives a slight nod as a response.

Her uncle walks over and gives her a kiss on the head and whispers a small goodnight. “Goodnight,” she responds lowly. _What is he not telling her?_  
Toni puts the leftover Chinese in the fridge and goes to take a shower, thoughts of her uncle’s conversation with the strange man still replaying in her head. After her shower, she dries her pink, bronze locks and puts them in a messy bun atop her head. Toni lays down on the couch and whips out her phone, immediately selecting her messages to text her best childhood friend, Jughead.

_Toni: Hey, Jug._

_Jughead: What’s up, T? You’re still up?_

__

__

_Toni: The weirdest thing just happened. My uncle answered the door to some creepy man. He was acting strange, so I eavesdropped. I heard the man say something about “You need to tell her. She is in danger,” or something along those lines. It was definitely about me, Jug. I asked my uncle if everything was okay and he just said yeah then went to bed._

It took Jughead a few minutes to respond, probably trying to decipher all of the information that Toni had given him.

_Jughead: That doesn’t sound like your uncle...are you okay? Did you ask him about who the guy was or what he wanted?_

__

_Toni: No, I didn’t want to push it. He didn’t seem like he wanted to talk and its too late to start a heated discussion. I’m too tired to fight with him._

__

_Jughead: Interesting. Your uncle has taken really good care of you. I’m sure if he was that worried for your safety he would have said something. See what happens in the next couple days._

Toni sighs. Maybe Jughead was right. Her uncle Luke was basically her father and had never done anything to hurt or upset her, except for eating the last slice of pizza from the fridge.

_Toni: I guess. I’ll see if he continues acting strange. Thanks, beanie boy._

__

__

_Jughead: Any time, tiny. Would it help if I came to NYC for a couple days? I know you guys don’t have the space but it would just be for a bit. Besides, I haven’t seen you in months. I can help pay for food too. You know I like to eat. :D_

The girl chuckles. Jughead can definitely eat.

_Toni: Actually, I would love that. Are you sure? What about the Riverdale Report? They basically can’t function without you._

__

_Jughead: Eh, the newspaper will be fine. Besides, I’ll bring my laptop and work remotely on articles or some personal things. I just want to make sure you’re alright._

__

_Toni: Perfect. I’ll talk to my uncle in the morning. Thanks again for listening._

__

_Jughead: You know it isn’t a bother, Toni. You’re basically family. Let me know what your uncle says. Get some rest._

__

_Toni: I will. Goodnight, Jug._

__

_Jughead: Night._

Toni yawns audibly and plugs her phone in, placing it on the coffee table. She sets an alarm for 8 a.m so she has time to get ready before her photography class at Brooklyn Creative the following morning. She turns on her side and covers up with her uncle’s tribal throw, her head resting on her worn out pillow. A twinkle of light is shining through their apartment window, the neon light of the burger restaurant across the street being the source. The girl lulls in and out of sleep, basking in the warmth the light brings, before she fully surrenders to the blackness.

*******

_The floor is rough, cold, and damp. Toni opens her eyes to see she is no longer in her apartment but in an eerie, underground-looking hallway. The unfamiliar walls surrounding her are made of concrete stones, strange liquid seeping out through the cracks. Overgrown weeds line the cobbled walkway. Toni rises to her feet and looks up at the ceiling, noticing that a bit of light is emanating from above. Strange, glowing stones line the ceiling to the opposite end of the seemingly never-ending hallway. Suddenly, Toni hears a humming and her head shoots up to look ahead.  
Where am I?_

__

_“Hello?” She calls out into the void and squints her eyes hoping to catch the glimpse of something, anything. No response comes. Toni takes a hesitant step forward, slowly making her way down the otherworldly passage. As Toni makes her way deeper through the corridor, she hears a whisper, stopping her in her tracks. “Hello?” She tries calling again,“Who’s there?” It seems like she has been walking for an eternity. She searches her surroundings for a way out, looking around her desperately. Something etched on the walls catches her eye and she moves closer to examine. Strange markings are now lining the walls. She can feel an energy coming from them._

__

_What are these? These weren’t here a moment ago_.

__

_Toni brings her hand up, touching her fingers gently to one of the markings. Sharp pains, like electricity coursing through her veins, shoot up her arm and a vision, the feeling of a memory, flashes before her eyes. Someone with dark skin and the same marking etched on their forearm stands before her. The man is crouched down talking to her, as if she were a child. He looks worried, scared. His lips are moving but his voice cannot be heard. All she can hear is deafening silence. Toni tries to scream, ask the man what is happening, but before she can, the vision ends. She instantly removes her fingers from the wall, terrified. Her eyes wide with fear. “What just happened?” she questions softly to herself._

__

_Just then a voice speaks up, a whisper spoken right into her ear, “Follow the shadows.”_

__

_Toni jumps from the sudden rush of cold air running down her spine at the words, and swivels in a circle looking for whom the voice belonged to. “W-Who are you? What do y-you want?” she screams frustrated and terrified, tears beginning to stream down her face as her back makes contact with the hard wall. She sinks further into the surface, her eyes shut tight and palms clammy against the concrete. She tries her best to stay small, like a little kid covering their whole body with a blanket to protect themselves from the monsters that linger in their bedroom at night. In reality, the notion does nothing, but it’s a comfort from the underlying terror._

__

_“Follow the shadows,” the voice instructs again._

__

_The voice sounds tender this time, less ominous. “Follow the shadows.” Toni’s tension eases ever-so slightly, the voice sounding more familiar, yet still unknown. Out of nowhere, fog begins to cloud the other end of the passage,“Follow the shadows.”_  


__

_As if the inauspicious voice wasn’t enough, a dense mist had to appear. She is visibly shaking, “W-Why would I d-do that?” Toni musters to yell, her voice trembling and laced with fear. She gulps audibly and fixates her eyes on the dense fog now in her path.  
Now what do I do?_

__

_“Follow the shadows,” the voice repeats as if it could hear her thoughts._

__

_Her breathing ragged, Toni reaches into her leather jacket and grabs the switchblade her uncle had given her. With a loud snap in the empty hallway, the blade flips open, echoing throughout the corridor. If she is following this voice into the void then she’d be damned if she wasn’t armed with a weapon. “I don’t kn-know what you want, b-but I’m not scared of you, whoever y-you are.” Toni states, trying to sound confident and unwavering, but failing miserably. She takes a shaky step forward, the dirt and stone beneath her crunching, her switchblade drawn…_


End file.
